Frolov sends CSKA to the Spengler Cup final

30 Dec 2013 | Alan Ilijic

Alexander Frolov scores in the shootout to lift CSKA over the tournament host HC Davos and make the Spengler Cup 2013 Final apperance tomorrow.

After 65 minutes of hockey in Valliant Arena in Davos, the score was levelled at 4. Neither team were able to get the edge in the roller-coaster scoring one after the other.

HC Davos took the lead early in the game, but Enzo Corvi's strike at 3:27 was anulled by Ilari Filppula at 7:12. Davos snapped the lead before the break through Niklas Danielsson who scores from near into the empty net at 15:41 as Ilya Proskuryakov couldn't retrieve after a feed came from Niklas Persson to the opposite post.

CSKA started the second period strong and by the midway point were up a goal, leaving Davos behind for the first time. Alexander Radulov scored both goals at 20:19 and 29:44 adding them to his previous assist to Filppula on their first tally.

The wilderness in the second went on - Davos ties it with five minutes to go through Ville Kostinen on a great solo effort as he makes the break over the left wing into open ice and beats Proskuryakov alone.

Vladimir Zharkov restores the one-goal lead late in the second after putting pressure on the defence forcing Davos to make a lot of mistakes defensive-wise. Nikolai Prokhorkin and Stanislav Yegorshev drove the puck into the zone on the right, the latter sent the feed in and Zharkov only tipped it to beat Genoni.

Though you don't get to feel loose in a game like that. Sergei Gimaev gets called late for tripping and gives Davos a chance on the powerplay. With help from the home crowd they get the best out of it and Peter Sejna picks up a rebound from Zdenek Kutlak's shot and scores sending the Arena into a delirium and thus forces overtime.

As overtime couldn't bring a winner, the game went to the shootout.

Two Alexanders - Radulov and Frolov score and edge Davos at home reaching the Spengler Cup finals after not a great start to the tournament a few days ago. Now they have the chance to win it.

Reto von Arx was the lone scorer for Davos in the shootout series.

After two straight years, HC Davos won't play in the finals of the Spengler Cup. Team Canada could secure a second straight apperance if they beat Geneve Servette tonight at 20:00 CET, 14:00 EDT. It would be their 10th Spengler Cup Final game since 2000.